Apparatus for bulk loading sheet metal cans



Nov. 28, 1961 P. A. ROEHRBEIN ETAL 3,010,562

APPARATUS FOR BULK LOADING SHEET METAL CANS A 7' TUBA/EVS Nov. 28, 1961 P. A. RoEHRBElN ETAL 3,010,562

APPARATUS FOR BULK LOADING SHEET METAL CANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1958 Nov. 28, 1961 P, A. ROEHRBEIN ErAL 3,010,562

APPARATUS FOR BULK LOADING SHEET METAL CANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 17, 1958 Wm M w mmf f Mm m33@ 0 T V A M2M QM T TY me 5m MH MW /5 www l l l l U United States Patent 3,010,562 APPARATUS FOR BULK LOADING SHEET lvIETAL CANS Philip Albert Roehrbein, Middlesex, NJ., and- Joseph Henry Matusevich, South Ozone Park, N.Y., assignors to American Can Company, New York, N. a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 781,030 1 Claim. (Cl. 19852) The present invention relates to an apparatus for bulk loading sheet metal cans or containers into freight cars, trucks or other compartments, or into bins or other restricted or confined spaces for shipment or storage and has particular reference to a magnetic belt lowerator for conveying the cans to a convenient loading position within the car or compartment.

In the can making industry, finished empty cans usually are shipped to customers immediately after being manufactured. In some cases, however, they are temporarily stored in the manufacturers plant until required by the customer. In either event, the cans are discharged from the manufacturing lines at high speeds and in substantially continuous processions into runways which deliver them to the shipping or storage section of the plant. Here the cans usually are packed in orderly rows and layers in paper bags or carriers or in similar orderly rows and layers to form stacks in cars or trucks `for shipment or storage.

In recent years, certain kinds of cans have been shipped or stored in jumble or bulk load formation by feeding or pouring the cans directly into the car, truck or other compartment to build up a jumbled pile which substantially fills the car or compartment. 'I'he instant invention contemplates a magnetic can lowerator loading apparatus to facilitate this loading operation.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a magnetic can lowerator loading apparatus which feeds cans into position in a car or compartment gently so as to prevent damage to the cans.

Another object is the provision of such a lowerator loading apparatus which is readily shifted vertically and horizontally so that the delivery end of the apparatus may be kept close to the pile of cans being built up to minimize the distance the cans have to fall from the apparatus to the pile and to facilitate spreading of the pile so that the car or compartment may be filled level to capacity.

Another object is the provision of such a can lowerator loading apparatus which is readily lowered into a car or compartment so that the delivery end of the apparatus may be positioned close to the bottom of the car or compartment to start the building up of a pile without damaging the cans.

Another object is the provision of such a lowerator loading apparatus wherein control of the travel of the cans may be had at all times so as to effect the delivery of the cans where desired.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a magnetic can lowerator loading apparatus embodying the instant invention, the apparatus being shown in relation to a freight car, truck or compartment to be lilled with cans;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. l showing the lowerator loading apparatus in position for loading cans into the car, truck or compartment;

ICC

As a preferred and exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate `a magnetic can lowerator loading apparatus for gently and rapidly loading sheet metal cans or containers A (FIG. 3) into a confined or restricted space such as a freight car, truck or compartment B in a jumbled or bulk load arrangement for shipment or storage.

Such a loading apparatus is adapted to be lowered into the restricted space B and moved horizontally and vertically over the entire area of the space to distribute the cans to all parts of the space and to fill the space to capacity at an even level. For this purpose the apparatus preferably comprises a horizontally movable trolley support section 21 (FIGS. l, 2, 3 and 4) and a vertically movable magnetic belt lowerator section 22 (FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8) which operates within the support section 21.

The trolley support section 21 preferably comprises a generally rectangular shaped cage 23 (FIGS. 4 and 5) composed of four vertical corner members 24 tied together at their lower ends by a rectangular frame 25 and at their upper ends by a similar rectangular frame 26. The upper frame 26 is connected by straps 27 to an elongatedchannel shaped trolley member 28 which carries a plurality of rollers 29. The rollers 29 operate on opposite sides of an I beam track 31 (FIGS. l, 2 and 3) which extends in a-horizontal position over the top of, and for the full length of, the car or the compartment to be lled with cans. The cage 23 is also supported on rollers 33 which are attached to its frame 25 and which operate on a pair of spaced and parallel horizontal tracks 34 which extend parallel with the track 31.

The magnetic belt lowerator section 22 operates in the cage 23. This section 22 preferably comprises 4a generally rectangular, elongated, open end, tubular housing 36 (FIGS. 5, 7 and 8) which is disposed vertically in the cage 23. Adjacent its upper and lower endsthe housing 36 carries an idler pulley 37 and a driving pulley 38 mounted on respective shafts 39, 41 journaled in bearings in the housing.

The pulleys 37, 38 carry an endless belt 43, one run of which extends through slots 44 in the front of the housing and operates along the front outer wall of the housing as best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The belt is operated continuously in a downward direction along the front of the housing as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8, by an electric motor 46 (FIG. 8) vand a connected speed reduction unit 47 mounted inside rthe housing. The reduction unit 47 is connected to the pulley drive shaft 41 by way of sprockets 48, 49 and an endless chain 51.

The housing 36 is mounted for vertical movement in the cage 23. For this purpose the side walls of the housing 36 carry a plurality of vertically aligned rollers 53 (FIGS. 5 and 7) mounted in brackets 54 yand operable in a pair of oppositely spaced and parallel vertically disposed guide tracks S5 connected to the upper and lower frames 26, 25 of the cage 23 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The housing '36 guided in the tracks 55 is supported and vertieally lowered and raised as required, by a cable 57 58 (FIGS. 5, 7 and 8) in the upper end of the housing. The upper end of the cable 57 is connected to a windup drum of a conventional electric hoist 61 (FIGS. 1, 2 andk 3) which is'suspended from the trolley support 28 of 'the cage 23.

The -lower ends of the housing guide tracks V55 depend below the cage 23 and at theirlower ends are connected to a U-shaped bracket 62 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) which is disposed horizontally and which sur-rounds the front wall of the housing 36 as shown in FIG. 6. This bracket 62 supports the delivery end of one or more 'can runway chutes 64 as shown in FIGS. l, 2,'3, 6 and 8. TheV chutes lead trom any suitable supply of cans as hereinbefore mentioned vand deliver the cans in a substantially continuous procession to the belt 43.

' 'I'he ends of the chutes 64 adjacent the path of travel of the belt are open so that as a can rolls down the chute; and approaches the belt, one end of the can is immediately adjacent the belt.

As the cans rollinto posi-tion adjacent the moving belt 43, the belt picks them up by magnetic attraction and carries them down along the front wall of the housing 36 as shown in FIG. 3. The attraction of the cansrto the'belt preferably is eiected by ya pair of elongated spaced and parallel magnet poles or bars 65 (FIGS. 6 and 8) which are disposed in the housing 36 adjacent its front wall behind the outer run of the belt and between thepulleys 37, 38. A plurality of magnets 66,

preferably permanent magnets, are connected to the poles to set up a long magnetic -eld which 'ex-tends the full length of4 the outer run of the belt. When the cans reach the lower end of the outer run of the belt 43 they ride oi onto the lower end 4of the housing 36. At least the front wall of this housing 36, adjacent the outer run of the belt 43 preferably is made of a non-magnetic material so that as the cans ride oi onto this non-magnetic section of the housing, they lautomatically drop oil, free of the housing. T-he lowerator housing 36 is normally disposed in a raised position within the cage 23, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the apparatus is n use to lill a car or compartment, the cage 23 is -rolled along its supporting rails 31, 34 to the position desired over the space to be lled and the housing 36 is lowered into the space close to the bottom thereof as shown in FIG. 3. The belt 43 is then set in operation to pick oil the cans A from the delivery ends of the chutes 64'and to carry them down into the space, and discharge them gently from the lower end of the housing 36 as described above.

Since the bottom of the housing 36 is close to the bottom of the space to be filled, the cans have only a short distance to fall and thence they are filled into the space in anundamaged condition.

As a pile of can-sis formed and continues to build up in the space, the housing 36 is periodically lifted a short distance by cable 57 and is also shifted horizontally by movement of the cage 23, to keep the cans owing from the end of the housing and to spread them where desired to completely lill the space to capacity and to level oli the top of the pile or piles as the case requires. `When the space is filled, the operation of the belt 43 is stopped and the housing 36 is raised up into its cage 23 as shown in FIGS. l and 2, in readiness for a repeat lling operation on anotherspace B.

In this manner, cans or containers A may be quickly bulk loaded into freight cars, trucks or bins B with a minimum damage to the cans or containers.

It is thought that the invention and .many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the fore` going description, and it will be. apparent that Vvarious changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of theV invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

We claim:

Apparatus for bulk loading sheet metal cans into restricted walled spaces such as freight cars, trucks, bins and the like, comprising a vertically elongated walled cage closed at itsv upper end and having support tracks for horizontal movement of the cage over the space to be filled, a lowerator housing carried by and vertically movable into and out of said cage through the lower open end thereof, said housing and cage having interengaging roller and guide track means to facilitate said vertical movement with a minimum of friction, an endless magnetic belt conveyor unit including iixed magnets and a motor for driving the belt in a vertical path of travel disposed saidY lowerator housing, an exposed downwardly traveling ight of said belt extending throughfvertically spaced slots in a wall of said housing for receiving cans attracted thereto by said magnets, a can runway chute secured fat one end to the lower end of said cage for progressively feeding cans to said exposed belt ilight for delivery to said space, and an electric hoist mounted in the upper end of said cage for progressively elevating `the housing into the cage to compensate for the accumulation of cans released into said space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 710,224 Treat Sept. 30, 1902 1,300,438 MacL'ennan Apr. 15, 1919 2,881,901 Zimmer Apr. 14, 1959 2,928,522 Anderson Mar. l5, 1960 

